Your Phone Just Got All the Classic Sega Games

Sega never got the love it deserved. Throughout the ‘80s and '90s, the video game developer always played second fiddle to its vastly more popular rival, Nintendo. The Genesis was the Jan Brady to the NES’s Marcia, and if you’d like me to extend this Brady Bunch analogy even further, once Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox came into the picture, the Dreamcast effectively became the console version of Cousin Oliver. Nailed it.

But because we’re all slaves to nostalgia, what’s dead cannot stay dead forever, and so that’s why Sega is making its grand return—this time to your phone. Beginning today, you can download a free new service called Sega Forever to your iOS or Android mobile device. You’ll get a classic lineup of Sega Genesis games including the immortal Sonic the Hedgehog, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Kid Chameleon and Phantasy Star II.

Each game is free and offers cloud saves and Bluetooth controler capability, but you also have the option of dropping $1.99 a piece on ad-free versions, because do you really want, like, an AutoZone ad getting in the way of you surviving the underwater Labyrinth Zone level of Sonic? Didn’t think so.

The best part of Sega Forever, however, is Sega’s promise to keep updating the collection. More classic games will pop up every two weeks, which could stretch through “months and years,” the company said in a statement. “It will include both official emulations and ported games that pan all Sega console eras, each adapted specifically for mobile devices while remaining faithful to the original games.”

You know what? I’m sufficiently pumped. I haven’t played a proper video game since about the time my parents canceled the Sega Channel in 1996, so I applaud Sega’s attempt to stay relevant in 2017 and very much look forward to the inevitable addition of ToeJam & Earl to the Sega Forever lineup. Best Genesis game ever. Don’t @ me.